Ankle-support for skates.



No. 805,667. PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. R. N. RIBLET.

ANKLE SUPPORT FOR SKATES.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR-14, 1905.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROYAL N. RIBLET, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. ANKLE-SUPPORT FOR SKATES.

No. 805,667. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 14, 1905. Serial No. 250,073.

heel-plate. The hinge-eye is preferably made of the full width of the heel-plate in order to make a strong hinge-joint for the brace 9. This brace 9 is made of spring-steel wire and is triangular in form. At its base a straight bar portion 10 extends loosely through the eye 6 and forms a wide strong supporting base bar for the triangular support. From the base-bar 10 the opposite sides curve outward and backward for a short distance and then inward to fit the curve of the ankle and then again slightly outward to conform to the increasing size of the leg. The brace also tapers evenly on both sides from the opposite ends of its hinge-bar to its top, which may vary from about five to about eight inches in height, and near its top the opposite sides are twisted tightly together, and then they are bent at right angles and are curved outward into a yoke or stirrup 11, which is adapted to straddle the leg loosely at its back and oppo: site sides. This yoke is curved outward at its rear end quite a little larger than the size of the leg, so that the leg will have plenty of Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROYAL N. RIBLET, a citizen of the United States of America, residing Spokane, in the county State of Washington, have new and useful Improvements in Ankle-Supit appertalns to make and he same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and reference marked thereon, of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in skates, andthe objects of my improvements are, first, to supporting pivotally attached to the rear end of the heel of the skate; second, to provide a vertical supporting-standard for the back of the leg, that is of triangular form and that terminates in a twisted portion at the apex of the triangle, from which a yoke projects at right angles to the triangular support and surrounds the rear and sides of the leg loosely and aleg-strap which is pivotally connected to the ends of the yoke, which allow freedom of movement of the leg and foot at the ankle-joint; third, to provide a leg-brace for skates that forms a support for the rear and sides of the heel and back of the leg and that fits the natural curvature of the heel and leg and that pivotally supports the leg from the rear and permits perfect freedom of forward and backward movement of the leg and that prevents twisting of the skate on either one side or' the other and that will not slide up or down on the leg as the skate is turned to one side or the other by the leg and foot of the wearer. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved leg-support for skates. Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a plan view.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the runner portion of the skate, 2 the sole-plate, and 3 the heel-plate. A shoe 4 is adapted screws. 1 form a pivotal or hinge eye 6. This hingeeye may be formed integral with the heelplate; but it is preferably formed on a plate 7, that is secured by rivets or screws 8 to the l and also be twisted in it considerably without bearing against its sides; but its pivotal eye ends are curved inward to fit close to the leg and are drawn against it by the clampingstrap.

The twisting of the wires at the top of the triangular brace not only very materially stiflens the base, but allows the yoke to be made to fit any sized leg.

The ends of the yoke are bent into rings or eyes 12 and 13. To the eye 12 a strap 14, which is preferably in the form of a loop, and one end of a leather band 15 are pivotally connected by a rivet 16, and the free end of the strap-loop is provided with a buckle 17.

he opposite end of this leather band and one end of a strap 18 are pivotally connected by a rivet 19 to the yoke-eye 13. The opposite end of the strap 18 is adapted to fit the buckle 17. This band I call the leg-band. It is preferably made wide enough to make a very firm and easy-clasping band and is-long enough to nearly meet around the leg, and the bucklestrap is buckled over it and is used to clamp it tightly around the leg.

The operation is as follows: In the act of skating the heel side portions close to the back portions, as the transverse curve of the heel will extend back between the wires of the triangular ver tical brace or supporting-standard, and the room to move forward and backward in it 1s supported at the back and IIO leg is placed within the yoke and the band is In a leg-support a triangular-shaped supstrapped securely to it. The leg is then free port or brace curved to fit the contour of the to bend at the ankle either forward or backheel and back of the leg, comprising a looped ward or sidewise in either direction, as the spring-wire, the loop of which forms the base 5 triangular brace will pivotally yield on adirect of the triangle, and having the apex of said forward or backward motion, and the legtriangle formed by twisting the ends of said band will pivotally turn also when these movelooped wire together, and having the ends of ments of the leg are made, while the band said looped wire bent at right angles to the and yoke and the support will resiliently yield vertical portion of said triangular-shaped IO under side or twisting strains of the leg. standard and curved in opposite directions t0 3 One of the essential properties of the triform a yoke-shaped stirrup that is adapted to angular form and construction of my brace inclose the rear and sides of the leg, and a is that it will spring and resiliently yield to leg-clamping strap pivotally connected to the all the torsional strains it will be subjected to ends of said yoke-stirrup.

5 while skating in addition to pivotally swing- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 35 ing in unison with the forward and backward presence of two Witnesses. movements of the skater. ROYAL N. RIBLET.

Having described my invention, what 1 Witnesses: claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters RICHARD B. HARRIs, 20 Patent, is- IVERNIA G. BARLOW. 

